Women’s Roles in Ancient RomeThe women’s roles in ancient Rome were very different from that of Athens. Women were always under men. They were treated poorly. First their fathers controlled them, then their husbands and even when they were widows, a male authority looked over them. Until the start of the 1st century BCE, women had hardly any freedom.
Women usually spent their time in their house. If they were poor, they had to work in their house and take care of the children. If they were rich, then they did nothing at all. [Carcopino] While the servants worked in the house, they would plan extravagant parties. Women were supposed to stay home all day to work in the house and to take care of the children. Only some women could have jobs, but not many had the chance to. A daily life of a rich Roman woman would go a little like this: pray, order the servants to make dinner and clean the house, get ready for the party they were planning and then they would rest. When their husband came back from work, they let in the dinner guests.
The daily life of poor Roman women would go something like this: Wake up, go to the fields and work the whole day. They had to do much more work than the rich Roman women because they could not afford to hire slaves. Women were treated very poorly in Rome. [Grant Fisher and Cheri Beth Harlan]
Women’s Roles in Ancient Rome The women’s roles in ancient Rome were very different from that of Athens. Women were always under men. They were treated poorly. First their fathers controlled them, then their husbands and even when they were widows, a male authority looked over them. Until the start of the 1st century BCE, women had hardly any freedom.
Women usually spent their time in their house. If they were poor, they had to work in their house and take care of the children. If they were rich, then they did nothing at all. [Carcopino] While the servants worked in the house, they would plan extravagant parties. Women were supposed to stay home all day to work in the house and to take care of the children. Only some women could have jobs, but not many had the chance to. A daily life of a rich Roman woman would go a little like this: pray, order the servants to make dinner and clean the house, get ready for the party they were planning and then they would rest. When their husband came back from work, they let in the dinner guests.
The daily life of poor Roman women would go something like this: Wake up, go to the fields and work the whole day. They had to do much more work than the rich Roman women because they could not afford to hire slaves. Women were treated very poorly in Rome. [Grant Fisher and Cheri Beth Harlan]
BIBLIOAGRAPHY
WEBSITEShttp://www.womenintheancientworld.com/women_in_ancient_rome.htm
http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/webunits/greecerome/Romeroles1.html LAST REVISED: 1998
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/163/436924047_77269bbc16.jpg
http://www.topsfieldschools.org/PROCTOR/P_SS/Ancient%20Rome/roman-woman.jpg
BOOKS
Cacrcopino, Jerome. Daily Life in Ancient Rome. 1940, The Carl Purington Rollins Printing-Office of the Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut.